Fwd: Poor feeding doesn't solve the problem

[Guest guest]

 

 

> Kurt Mausert <mausert (AT) mac (DOT) com>

> April 29, 2005 11:22:42 AM EDT

> Rupa <rupa (AT) kinkari (DOT) com>

> Cc: "(Krsna) Katha" <Katha (AT) pamho (DOT) net>, Madana-mohana MG

> <Madana-mohana.MG (AT) pamho (DOT) net> (Sender:

> Bhakti.Visrambha.Madhava.Swami (AT) pamho (DOT) net), Mahesh Pandit Patna

> <sharma_mahesh2000 >, Samvit Dasi <sixgoswamis (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>,

> BVKS Sanga <BVKS.Sanga (AT) pamho (DOT) net>, Bhakti Vikasa Swami

> <Bhakti.Vikasa.Swami (AT) pamho (DOT) net>, "Vijaya Govinda (das) BSDS (Chennai -

> IN)" <Vijaya.Govinda.BSDS (AT) pamho (DOT) net>, "Nitai Pada Kamala (IDS)"

> <nitaipadakamaladas_ids >, Quotes <Quotes (AT) pamho (DOT) net>,

> Prabhupada Said <Prabhupada.Said (AT) pamho (DOT) net>, Jagat Purush dasa

> <jagatpurush108 >, achintya <achintya>, "ICC

> (Indian Continental Committee)" <ICC (AT) pamho (DOT) net>, Atri Muni Prabhu

> <olek69 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>

> Re: Poor feeding doesn't solve the problem

>

> Dear Prabhus & Maharaja,

> PAMHO. AGTSP.

> The quote offered by BV Swami does not apply to Rupa's program. It

> is a misapplication of Prabhupada's teachings. I call it this because

> Food for Life and the Sandipani Muni school cannot be fairly

> classified as merely mundane "humanitarian" work or "relief

> institutions". And, while we are on the topic of the word

> "humanitarian", doesn't Prabhupada repeatedly state that KC is the

> best humanitarian work?

> We know from Prabhupada's example, from his letters, and from

> his books, that he approved of and encouraged prasadam distribution at

> and in our temples. We know that SP has taught us that devotional

> service is absolute and that one form of service should not be

> perceived as superior to another. Prasadam is Krsna, just as He is

> also His name.

> Rupa's programs are not meant for just polishing the bird cage--they

> are nourishing the bird within. The children are taking prasadam,

> worshiping the Deity, chanting Hare Krsna and learning sastra. How is

> this a mundane "relief" program?

> Prabhupada was compassionate. There are letters where he stated that

> we would let the poor come naked to our temples and then feed them and

> cloth them. Do you think that they will not be grateful to us and to

> Krsna? Do you think that they will not be touched by the mercy of the

> vaisnavas and so become vaisnavas themselves? Do you think that

> little of the potency of the Holy Name and prasadam?

> We can be like the old Gaudiya Math and sit in our nice temples and

> argue over who gets what room, or we can find new fields for preaching

> like Srila Prabhupada did. The poor of the world and of India are

> ripe for becoming devotees. They know better than most of us that the

> material world is a miserable place. Let's give them Krsna

> consciousness. But you can't preach to a starving, sick person. Fill

> the belly with prasadam, the ears with the Holy Names, and the mind

> with sastra. That is what Rupa is doing, yet he is being criticized

> for doing mundane welfare work.

> His critics are thinking in a superficial manner. I'm sorry for

> being blunt, but it is absurd that this debate is even happening. We

> can stand back and be critical of these programs like Prabhupada's

> godbrothers were critical of him (while doing almost nothing in

> comparison), or we help these programs and so spread KC.

> Ys,

> Kirtana rasa dasa

> On Apr 29, 2005, at 8:29 AM, Rupa wrote:

>

>> GREAT Maharaja agreed 100%

>> But how are you planning to convince them to take to Krishna

>> Consciousness? By ignoring them, by pretending they do not exist, by

>> building big big marble temples, by having SB classes in our temples

>> attended by a handful of committed devotees, by telling them you feed

>> poor children and then give them a BBT book, by eating in the MVT

>> restaurant while they are outside the gate begging, by having

>> programs in reach people's home. You cannot understand that for these

>> people there is no present and there is no future, but WE have the

>> power in our hands to make them devotees, to have them chant Hare

>> Krishna and to live a life of dignity, or we can choose to ignore

>> them and let them rot in the name of religion.

>> In our Sandipani Muni school we have 450 poor destitute children

>> wearing tilak and chanting hare Krishna every day all day, also

>> reciting Bhagavad Gita slokas by heart every day, they are

>> worshipping deities and they are chanting sarira avidya jan before

>> taking prasada. is that Maya?? would SP disapprove of that??

>> In the villages with ourtsocial development programs hundreds of

>> women are chanting namaon vishu padaya every time they meet, all of

>> them have japa and most of them are chanting at least 1 or more

>> rounds every day.

>> YES people are without Krishna consciousness because we are to damm

>> locked up in our little world (sorry I should say little comfortable

>> world)!

>> You are still quoting Srila Prabhupada and we can also keep quoting

>> him in an incredible positive way. Where are we gonna end up? maybe

>> the conclusion is that SP just confused us by giving dual

>> instructions?

>> Instead of burying our heads in books all the time, we should look

>> outside, there is a reality out there and that is that people are

>> suffering and before you can bring them to Krishna you will have to

>> show some compassion and care to them or they will not hear you at

>> all.

>>

>> Thanks

>> your servant

>> rupa raghunath das

>> www.fflvrindavan.org

>> On 26 Apr 2005, at 22:05, Bhakti Vikasa Swami wrote:

>>

>>> "Because people are without Krsna consciousness, they have become

>>> thieves,

>>> and consequently they are being punished by the laws of material

>>> nature. No

>>> one can check this, not even by introducing so many relief funds and

>>> humanitarian institutions. Unless the people of the world take to

>>> Krsna

>>> consciousness, there will be a scarcity of food and much suffering."

>>> ----SB 4.18.8

>>>

>>

>